A RANCHMAN'S RECOLLECTIONS 



vital seed, as represented by its modern beef type, 

 transplanted to the north, stands the rigors of winter 

 better than native cattle. In my own work here in 

 Texas I found that the S. M. S. herd had a won- 

 derful basis. There were many weeds in it, however, 

 and I cut for conformation, leaving lots of 1,000- 

 pound cows, with some brindle or often straight duns, 

 long after I had cut out a lot of cat-hammed, flat- 

 ribbed animals with clean flesh marks and color. 



Cortez may have treated the Mexican race badly, 

 but he gave to America or, more exactly speaking, to 

 the Texas prairies, a heritage in vital cow brutes 

 which has done almost as much as pure breeding for 

 the American cattle industry. That heritage fur- 

 nished the vitality in which to fix the beef-making 

 instinct. I have never lost sight of it in the S. M. S. 

 herd. While our fraction long ago was reduced to 

 •999 pure, we have kept our eyes on the strong, 

 "good-doers," and watched the winter feed grounds, 

 like hawks watching chickens, for weak constitu- 

 tions, and the spring pick-up for the laggards, and 

 kissed them goodbye. 



We owe the primitive Texas cow a debt. She had 

 much to do in making possible the record that well- 

 bred Texas cattle are registering in the markets, as 

 regards both prices and poundage. 



If the foregoing may take the caption "Fifty Years 

 Ago," perhaps what follows could be headed "Light 

 Begins to Dawn." 



[7] 



